Heavy rain leaves residents worrying about winter

Persistent heavy rain and flooding has left homeowners in a town fearing the worst as winter approaches.

Roads have been left flooded in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, for the second time this year, after problems in February.

Locals have been sharing their experiences on social media, with one poster describing how he is "living in fear" every time it rained.

People said they thought building on low-lying land, clogged ditches and blocked drains were adding to problems caused by heavy rain in recent days.

Some also said they had difficulty finding which authority was responsible for particular issues.

Ewen Patrick, 53, said his home in Farthing Lane had flooded before - in late 2021 - and again in recent days.

He said he feared there would be similar problems before the winter ended.

"You are kind of living in fear every time it starts to rain," he told the BBC.

"I cannot see it improving.

"The weather we are seeing now is just bizarre."

Mr Patrick, who repairs pipelines for a living, said he thought building on low-lying land and blockages in ditches and drains made the situation more difficult.

He said he had tried to alert authorities to concerns about drainage but had found it very hard to establish which authority dealt with the issue.

Angela Haylock, 53, who runs a volunteer organisation, said the street where she lived, Whitecross, had been flooded for six days.

"This is the third time this year," Mrs Haylock, the chief executive of Voluntary Community Action East Cambridgeshire, told the BBC.

"Our road is still flooded."

She posted images of Facebook and added: "Worrying as there is more rain due."

Mrs Haylock said the road had also flooded in January and February.

Others responded to her post and raised concerns about drains not being cleaned out - and water not being pumped away.

Some also pointed the fact that Whitecross was on low-lying land and near a river.

Southern England saw its wettest September since 1918, according to recently-released the Met Office figures.

Ten English counties experienced their wettest September on record with some places seeing three or four times their average rainfall for the month.

The heavy and relentless rain in some parts of southern England and Wales led to flooding and disruption.

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